Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Book Description

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Epilogue

About the Author

Dear Readers...

Gems of Romantic Fiction

ResplendencePublishing.com

Alpha’s Unwilling Mate

A James Pack Story

By Lacey Thorn

Resplendence Publishing

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www.resplendencepublishing.com
Gems of Romantic Fiction

Alpha’s Unwilling Mate
Copyright © 2017, Lacey Thorn
Edited by Michele Paulin
Cover Art by Chel Hickerty

Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC
1093 A1A Beach Blvd, #146
St. Augustine, FL 32080

Electronic Format ISBN: 978-1-62344-111-1

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Electronic Release: December 2017

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

Raina

I refuse to mate a man I don’t know. My father’s dictate has me ready to run and never look back. I won’t be the virgin sacrifice used to entice Bastion James to accept my community as part of his pack. Nothing will change my mind. Especially not the man himself. Not the way he looks at me, the way he touches me, or the heat of his kiss.

Bastion

From the moment I saw her, I knew she was mine. Raina Byrd belonged in my arms. More importantly, she belonged in my bed. One glimpse at the fire in her eyes and I knew we’d burn the world around us until nothing else existed. One touch of her skin and I was lost to anyone else. One taste of her lips and I knew I’d kill to possess her.

I warned her what would happen if she tried to run. Now, I won’t be satisfied until I’m buried inside her and she’s screaming my name.

For those who love insta-love stories

filled with smoking hot sex and arrogant alphas.

Dive in and let the heat of Bastion and Raina singe you!

Chapter One

Raina

Anger seethed inside me. “What did you say?”

“There’s nothing wrong with your hearing,” my father countered. “You heard me just fine.”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t have because I swear you said something about agreeing to a mating for me, which would be archaic and wrong on so many levels.”

He sighed as if the weight of dealing with me took a lot out of him. Maybe it did, but this wasn’t happening.

“Now, Raina,” he began, but I cut him off quickly.

“No. Not happening. We don’t submit to forced matings anymore.”

“It’s not a forced mating. Stop being melodramatic.”

“You’ve yet to see melodramatic,” I warned as I paced back and forth across the kitchen floor. “We don’t adhere to old law, which means you don’t get to agree to a mating request. I get to choose who I want to spend my life with.”

“Our alpha—”

“We don’t have an alpha!” The words ripped from my throat so harshly that pain shot through my vocal chords.

My father cast his eyes down, unable to look at me. “The James clan has agreed to accept us. The decision’s been made. Only one thing remains. We need a mating to connect us.”

“Not me,” I snarled.

“Your place in the pack makes you the perfect choice to unite us.” His chest puffed out, and I knew what was coming. “My blood runs in your veins. The blood of not just one but two alphas. Our people respect and admire you. The younger wolves look to you for what to do. I know you’ll do the right thing.”

I snorted. My place in our pack. Anytime my father wanted me to toe his line, this was his go-to argument. I wanted to lash out. God knew I’d been doing nothing but that since I’d rushed home from college two years ago, frantic from the call I’d received from my best friend. Our alpha had been killed in a bizarre accident. He’d been checking on some of our elder members when the back tires had blown on his truck. According to witnesses, the vehicle had rolled five times before coming to rest on its crumpled top. Still, he might have lived if it hadn’t caught fire. No one had been able to get to him or his best friend. My father was riddled with scars over his arms and chest from trying. It’d taken six wolves to pull him away from the wreckage and hold him down. Our alpha had been his only son and my older brother, Rowan.

Since then, we’d struggled to come to terms with the loss. The aftermath had left us splintered. The majority of males my brother’s age had left. One large group had taken off together, and though the elders had said they’d left to deal with their grief over losing a friend, I often wondered if there was more to it. With most of them gone, there was no one left to take Rowan’s place. At least, no one the elders would agree to back, and none strong enough to buck against them. I’d known the elders had been courting another avenue, but this scenario had never come to mind.

“I’m not mating one of them,” I reiterated.

“Raina, I know this isn’t what you wanted.”

I opened my mouth to snap a pithy reply, but he held up his hand, and I bit back the words at the visual reminder of what we’d survived.

“This isn’t up for discussion. We’re joining with James. Things are going to change. Starting with your mating.”

I didn’t want to hurt my father. I knew better than most what he’d suffered in the aftermath of the accident, and the last thing I wanted was to make him feel disrespected. Still, I wasn’t agreeing to this. I was a virgin, but I didn’t plan to be a sacrificial one for the sake of our pack. I didn’t know much about James and his group except they were mostly younger wolves, which was why our elders had approached them. While we had a bit of prestige because of our lineage, the James pack was newly formed. They were mostly wolves who’d struck out on their own. Most of them were said to be the bastard sons of rogue wolves, and Bastion James just happened to be the bastard who’d united them.

Gossip was they were a group of alphas, and I’d heard them referred to more than once as the alpha pack. Considering Bastion James had somehow gathered all of them to follow him, I wondered what type of man he was. When already dominant men fell into line behind one bearing alpha qualities, it said a lot about the man. To be honest, it scared me a little, though I’d never admit that to anyone. It definitely didn’t sound like something I wanted to be mated into. I didn’t know any of them, and they sure as hell didn’t know me. How could this alpha of alphas have chosen a mate for me without even meeting me? That told me everything I needed to know about what kind of man he was—one I didn’t want to be around.

I stepped forward, took my father’s hand with mine and gripped it tightly. “I can’t. I won’t. This pack has taken too much from me already.”

“We’ve made a pact. Our new alpha has spoken, and his dictates will be followed.”

“He’s not my alpha,” I snarled.

“He will be,” my father warned.

“I have no alpha!”

“Hold your tongue,” my father snapped, losing his temper for the first time since I’d walked in the door. “You’ll obey me and the command of your alpha. Am I clear?” His emphasis wasn’t missed.

I held his stare for a long moment before dropping his hand and moving away. I grabbed my purse off the counter and headed toward the door.

“Forcing me won’t blend us together. You know that.”

“Raina—”

“I have to go,” I said, shaking my head. There was no getting through to him right now. I needed distance and air so I could figure out what I’d do to get out of this mess.

“Where are you going?”

“Out,” I said.

“Don’t leave,” my father coaxed, and we both knew he was talking about more than the moment. He knew me well, and I loved him with every fiber of my being. Still, I wouldn’t give on this. “Give it a chance. You can’t fight this.”

That was the problem with my family. They liked to think they controlled everything. My brother had learned there was no controlling me. Then again he’d also loved me and spoiled me rotten. It was obvious Bastion James saw me as no more than a pawn, a means to an end. I was a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them.

“I need to head out. I have plans tonight,” I muttered, but my mind was spinning. What the fuck was I going to do?

“We need to discuss this.”

“There’s really nothing to discuss, is there?” I challenged, knowing my dad would choose to see it as my acceptance of the inevitable. He always thought the best of me. This time it was misplaced.

“Raina.” My name was part reprimand, part exasperation.

“I’m meeting Ivy,” I told him, which was true. My best friend and I had made plans earlier in the day to meet at the local werewolf watering hole. A few laughs, a few drinks, and maybe some dancing. That had been the plan. Now…my gut was churning. It might be a night of plotting and planning. If anyone could help me, it was Ivy.

He stared at me for a long moment, and I did my best not to appear as if I were up to something.

“Go have your fun, but don’t do anything stupid,” my father warned. “Bastion and several of his group will be here tomorrow to meet with the elders. He’s requested you make yourself available to meet them.”

My fingers clenched. Make myself available. My temper seethed. Had he already chosen who he planned to mate me with, or was I to be paraded before his pack so one of them could pick me? The mere thought had a growl vibrating in my chest. I’d rip their fucking throats out.

“Raina.”

“Ivy’s waiting. I don’t want to be late.” I headed toward the door. “Don’t wait up.”

“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Bastion James is a good alpha. He has a strong pack. Something we really need.”

I nodded. I knew they were strong. James’ character was still up in the air as far as I was concerned. A true leader wouldn’t dictate a woman’s future on a whim. My mate. My choice. At the moment, I waffled between reminding my dad of that or running. Both seemed like viable ideas. Honestly, I was keeping my options open. All I knew for sure was it would be a cold day in hell before I made myself available for James and whoever tagged along with him to meet the elders.

I texted Ivy before getting behind the wheel, so she could have her devious-plot hat on by the time I got there. I figured between the two of us my future would be fine. Bastion James might have his pack of alphas, but I’d take Ivy and her crafty mind over them any day.

I barely remembered the drive, lost in a haze of anger and what ifs. I was still struggling to collect my thoughts when I pulled into the parking lot at the bar. Ivy was at my door before I even shut the engine off, and her first words brought a grin to my lips.

“So are we thinking death or just dismemberment?”

I could tell by the gleam in her eyes she was dead serious. That was why I loved her. Most people wanted that friend who would calm them down. Ivy didn’t fit that bill. She was the one who would be up for hiding a body at three a.m. with no questions asked. Even better, she’d face an angry mob for me without batting an eyelash.

“Right now, I’m thinking booze and plenty of it. James had the audacity to order me to be ready to present myself when he and his entourage show up tomorrow.” I was still fuming over that.

“Be ready to…” She broke off, her gaze narrowing. “The hell you say! As if you have nothing better to do than wait for his beck and call. Should you wear something pretty? Or maybe go naked. That way, they won’t have those pesky clothes in the way of judging you. Nice breeding hips are probably a must. Full tits to nurse the pups you’ll carry. Plus you have an amazing ass.”

I stared at her, mouth wide in disbelief.

“Which they can all kiss!” she practically yelled.

“Exactly,” I agreed.

Her gaze raked over my face, and I knew I hid nothing from her.

“Booze,” she said, grabbing my arm and tugging me from behind the wheel. I slammed the door and beeped it locked as she continued to propel us toward the beaconing neon that pointed the way to the door.

“Booze,” I agreed.

“Then we’ll figure out how to handle this,” Ivy tacked on.

I was seriously afraid even Ivy wouldn’t be able to find a way out of this mess. I gripped her arm even tighter, giving it a squeeze as I bumped my hip against hers. Ivy’s gaze met mine, and I saw understanding in her eyes. We both knew there was a real possibility I would be gone by morning.

Chapter Two

Raina

Ivy hit the bar while I grabbed a table. She joined me with two bottles of beer, a bottle of tequila and two shot glasses.

“This calls for tequila,” she stated as she thumped everything down then filled the cups.

I grabbed mine and tossed it back, enjoying the burn of alcohol down my throat. Ivy wasted no time topping them off again. After our third shot, I picked up my beer and took a long pull.

“Seriously, Raina,” Ivy said, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze. “I see the wheels spinning. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I don’t know what to think,” I admitted.

“I’m sure your dad hit you with the ‘it’s your responsibility to do as the elders request’ with a reminder of your place in our society and how all us young impressionable youth look to you for inspiration on how to behave.” Ivy’s tone went from a deep mimic of my father’s to a high-pitched girly sound complete with batting eyelashes.

I laughed. She’d nailed it.

“Oh, I know I’m right.” She waved away any comment I might have made. “Sometimes, I’d really love to smack your dad upside his head and make him really see you.”

“Ivy,” I whispered.

“I know you love him, Raina. At times, I question it. Especially, when he agrees with something this stupid.” She leaned toward me once more, her hands cupping mine and squeezing again. Ivy was big on touching. It was one of her main forms of communication. “Honey, Rowan wouldn’t want this for you. You know that. Don’t let your dad and the elders manipulate you into something you don’t want.”

Those words from anyone else wouldn’t have carried the same weight, but Ivy had known my brother as well as I did. At one time, I’d wondered if there had been something between him and Ivy. Neither had ever admitted anything, and despite what some still thought, I believed them. If Ivy had set her sights on Rowan, he’d have been hers. It would have been the same for Rowan if he’d decided Ivy was his. They’d been close, extremely so, but I didn’t think there had been anything romantic between them.

“God’s truth, I don’t know what I’ll do,” I admitted.

“You’re planning to run, but I’m not sure you can run fast enough. Bastion James is known for getting what he wants.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I make it my business to know everything that will play a role in my sister’s life. As soon as I heard the elders had approached him and his pack, I began researching. They get what they want. Period. Which means if one of them has decided they want you, there’s no place you can run that will be safe.”

Ivy’s sister was eight, a late-in-life pup for her parents. Ivy’s mom hadn’t wanted Jasmine and had abandoned the baby shortly after birth. Ivy had stepped in as mom and big sister. The little girl looked like a miniature version of Ivy, and those who weren’t in our community often mistook her as Jasmine’s mother.

“I seriously doubt any of them decided they want me. Hell, Ivy, they don’t even know me.” So maybe, I needed to run before any of them got the opportunity.

“I think your best chance is to confront James. Let him know where you stand on this. Tell him you’ll challenge him.”

“After what you just told me, you think my best chance is to challenge him?”

“I think it’s something to ponder,” Ivy assured me. “I get the impression he might respect someone who stands up to him.”

“So meet him, and let him know I’ll choose my own mate when I’m damn good and ready?”

“Why the hell not? Why is he any different from Rowan? Isn’t that what you told your brother?” Ivy demanded.

“It’s different because Rowan loved me,” I whispered.

Ivy reached across the table and took my hands with hers. “No matter what you decide, I’m with you. I’ll stand beside you, or Jasmine and I will run with you.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not. I’m telling you,” Ivy countered.

“Another beer, ladies?” the waitress interrupted, and I gave a nod.

“Another bottle of tequila, too,” Ivy added.

As shifters we burned through alcohol pretty quickly. It took a lot to get us inebriated, but I might make the effort tonight. Ivy had me both ready to run and knowing I had to stay. I wouldn’t be a pawn, but I wouldn’t pull away Ivy and Jasmine either. Which left me no further along in my thinking than I’d been before I’d gotten to the bar.

“Here you go, ladies.” Fresh beers and a new bottle of tequila were set on the table. “Band is setting up now. Give me a wave if you need anything else.”

“What if you take the initiative and pick the one you want?” Ivy suggested after a few more shots. “Think about it. You turn the tables. Pick one of them, and say you want him or none at all. Hell, you could demand Bastion James himself. See how he likes the shoe on the other foot.”

“The whole point is I don’t want to be mated to any of them,” I reminded her.

She waved her hand, and I realized she was feeling the effects of the alcohol. Ivy’s personality was so large I sometimes forgot how much smaller than me she was. While I topped out at five-feet, eight-inches, Ivy was barely five-two in her bare feet. That meant it didn’t take as much liquor for her to feel it.

“Then we should think about running, which means I should probably start sobering up.”

“Not yet,” I said, pouring fresh shots and pushing one toward her. “So you think I should appeal to his reason.”

“It’s as good a suggestion as any. Just be sure not to fall for his magnetism. I hear it’s pretty strong.”

I laughed. “Who have you been talking to?”

“Anyone I could find,” Ivy admitted. “From what I hear, there are a lot of female wolves willing to sprawl out for him to mount. Hell, for any of his group, for that matter.”

I glanced at her over the top of my beer. It cracked me up how we nursed our beers slowly but downed tequila as if it were water. Priorities, right? The music thrummed, and I thought it was time we exercised something more than our minds and mouths.

“Let’s dance,” I urged, needing to get lost in something other than my head. My thoughts raced, and my wolf pressed against my skin. Right now, the best thing was to get up and move.

I’d just started to lose myself in the music when I felt the charge in the room. I lifted my eyelids to see a bunch of lethal-looking wolves making their way across the room. Other shifters moved out of their way. My gut told me who the new group was before my ears caught the whispers.

Alpha pack. Bastion James.

I stayed where I was on the dance floor. Either Ivy hadn’t noticed the change in the room or didn’t care as she continued to dance. I saw several of the men with James watching her ass shake then found myself captured by a pair of dark eyes. I swear the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. Or maybe, it was just my lungs. Either way, the heat he put off singed me. I felt it in the soles of my feet, working up my legs to pool between my legs, making my most intimate parts moist and achy. I licked my lips, feeling parched. Ivy said something, but I couldn’t tear my attention from the man I knew had to be Bastion James. I couldn’t look away. A shiver worked through me. My breasts swelled as my areolas tightened, turning my nipples into taut buds. I ached. For him.

One arrogant brow lifted, and a corner of his mouth twitched insolently. That was all it took for whatever spell he’d had me under to snap, freeing me. I returned the look with interest, letting my gaze skim over him from head to toe. The man was huge. He’d easily tower over me, and that was saying something. His chest was broad, thick with muscle, and part of me wanted to rub all over him, marking him with my scent. I blinked with shock at my thoughts. Mark him with my scent? What the fuck was my wolf thinking?

I flicked out my tongue to slick my lips, feeling parched and ready for more tequila. His gaze narrowed, and my belly tightened. I forced my gaze from his, glancing around the room, noting other females preening and posing in attempts to pull attention their way. When I glanced back toward him, his attention hadn’t wavered. His gaze was still glued to me. He said something to one of the men with him, and the guy nodded. A few of his men fanned out across the room, and the bar began clearing out. The band kept playing, and I kept moving, waiting to see what he planned.

The music moved me. I swiveled my hips and ran my hands over my body as I gyrated to the beat. It wasn’t long before more eyes than his followed my movements. He didn’t seem to like that, and I smirked. A few of our community still hung out, and apparently, one of them was feeling ballsy. I didn’t mind when he joined Ivy and me on the dance floor. I did mind when he reached for me. A growl built in my throat, and I was ready to embrace the mean coming on when he was suddenly gone. A huge beast of a guy stepped in front of me, the same one James had spoken to earlier.

“It’s time for you to go home, Miss Byrd.”

What the ever loving fuck? Seriously?

“Funny,” I countered. “I’m pretty sure it’s time to dance.”

“Your father would like you to go home,” beast man said again, probably tacking on the father bit in hopes of getting my ass moving. The joke was on him.

I glanced around the room, making a point of peering around his massive chest. My gaze skimmed over Bastion. I registered amusement on his face.

“My father wants me home? Do I look twelve to you?”

“What the hell?” Ivy demanded as she moved between me and beast man. She slammed both her palms against his chest, but I knew he stepped back only because he wanted to. “Step off, asshole.”

“We’re dancing. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” I turned, refusing to allow my attention to stay on him. I resumed dancing, really getting in to it. I bumped into him a few times, noticing every time I did he backed away. So beast man didn’t like to be touched either. Good to know.

I swiveled my hips, backing my ass up…and encountered a set of hard thighs. A large hand wrapped around my waist, the palm splaying wide over my abdomen, anchoring me to the solid frame behind me. My breath seized in my lungs. I’d felt this heat earlier. Only not nearly so close. Liquid pooled between my thighs as my channel grew damp for the taking. I was so out of my league here.

Chapter Three

Bastion

When I’d walked into the bar, I’d still been reeling from the phone call I’d received earlier, then I’d found the woman I’d already claimed as mine dancing seductively for anyone to see. I didn’t like the way others stared at her. Not when I’d yet to even taste her.

I’d made my intentions clear to her father. I’d take on their pack and be their alpha under one condition. Raina Byrd was mine. There would be no courtship. No easing into things or any other bullshit he’d spouted. One look at her and I’d known I wouldn’t be able to wait. Seeing her, feeling her scent wrap around me, I knew we wouldn’t even make it through the night before I was buried deep inside her. My brain had mostly shut down, and my cock was ready to do the thinking. And all it imagined was being buried inside her.

“Clear the room,” I told Cyan, my second. “No one touches her.”

He nodded and dispersed the team with us to follow my orders. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She mesmerized me. It took all I had to stay across the room from her. I knew my control would be over if I put my hands on her.

Her father had called earlier, warning me she’d run. My little wolf didn’t want to mate me. According to her father, she’d made no bones about the fact I wasn’t her alpha. I knew she’d lost her brother, knew the two of them had been close. Hell, there were things I knew about Rowan Byrd’s death I wasn’t sure she knew. None of it mattered right now. Now was about her and me and how quickly I could get her stripped and under me.

That was when some asshole with a death wish decided to step close to Raina. He reached for her, and there was no holding back the growl from my throat. Cyan moved immediately, and the guy was flung away like the garbage he was. No one touched what was mine.

The roar in my ears blocked out whatever Cyan said to Raina, but I could tell she was pissed. Her anger hit my cock like a firm stroke, and a grin of anticipation tugged my lips. God, she was gorgeous. All long, blonde hair and big eyes that smoldered with passion. Her friend moved in then, slapping her tiny hands against Cyan as if she had any power to move him. But he did move. I watched him inhale then blink, and I almost laughed when I realized I was watching my second fall. The woman might not realize it, but she’d just been claimed.

Raina started twitching her ass, her body dry humping to the music, and it was too easy to imagine her naked and performing solely for my pleasure. She bumped her lush ass into Cyan, and my growl was back even as he shook his head and stepped back. I watched his attention move from the little one back to my mate, and he managed to avoid her next attempts at contact. My body moved to intercept her next attempt to shoo Cyan away.

Then she backed her perfect ass into me. My hard thighs cushioned her buttocks, and I wrapped my arm around her, spreading my fingers across her belly and anchoring her to me. There was no way she missed the swell of my cock, and I made no move to hide it from her. I was a big man, and as my mate, she’d take every inch of me as often as I could give it to her.

“I’ve been looking for you,” I whispered in her ear and enjoyed the way she shivered against me. I smelled her arousal. My little wolf was horny, and I was the only man who’d satisfy her.

“Lucky you,” she said. “Here I am. What can I do for you?”

I pressed my cock against her, a growl rumbling from my throat. What would she do if I told her to strip and get down on all fours? Would she fight me? Or readily comply to give us what we both wanted? I felt a hard elbow in my ribs and knew without a shadow of a doubt she’d fight me every inch of the way. It only made my dick harder.

“You could go home with me,” I offered.

The vixen turned in my arms, so her belly cushioned my cock, and I wanted to howl at the exquisite torture. Her breasts brushed my chest, the tight buds of her nipples drilling into me. I wanted to touch them, suck them until she came screaming my name.

“Is this really how you pick up a woman for the night?” she whispered.

“What kind of man do you think I am?” I asked, cupping her ass and lifting her into my straining dick. I felt the heat of her pussy and flexed my fingers. It took all my control to keep from ripping our clothes out of the way.

The woman beside her chose that moment to make her presence known again. “Don’t answer that.”

I turned my head and growled at her then found myself dealing with two pissed off women.

“Don’t growl at her,” Raina said, smacking me so hard I worried she might have hurt her hand.

“Don’t growl at me, wolf boy,” her friend echoed.

“Ivy,” Raina snapped. “Let me deal with this.”

“Ivy,” Cyan purred beside me. “Perfect.”

The friend’s gaze snapped to him. “Listen, beast boy. Take your pal there, and get the fuck out of our way.”

Cyan’s lips twitched, and I knew he felt the same urge to claim as I did. Thank God, it wasn’t for the same woman, or I’d be looking for a new beta.

“Why is her name perfect?” Raina demanded.

“Ivy’s a clinging vine, right?” Cyan noted. “Which is perfect since she’s going to be wrapped around me for the rest of my life.”

Ivy’s mouth dropped open, her eyes growing wide, and I almost laughed. Cyan had left his mouthy future mate speechless.

“Take her,” I said, and she squeaked as Cyan scooped her up over his shoulder and headed toward the door.

“Wait!” Raina yelled. “You can’t just take her.” She hit me again, and I took her hand in mine, bringing it closer so I could make sure she wasn’t hurting herself. “Where is he taking her?”

“Somewhere they can be alone,” I informed her. “He won’t hurt her.”

“I don’t know what kind of pack you run, but this shit won’t fly here,” she warned me, sparks shooting from her gaze.

“This shit?” I questioned.

She shoved at my chest again, and now that we were alone, I let her put a little space between us. Not much but enough to suit her.

“This barbaric display you and your beta put on.” She fisted her hands and beat her chest, her tits bouncing and capturing my full attention. “I’m alpha male. Kneel before me, and do my bidding.”

My nostrils flared, and a drop of pre-cum leaked from the tip of my dick at the thought of her on her knees before me. Jesus! The woman might make me cum in my pants like a wet-behind-the-ears boy at this rate.

“Kneel, stand, bend over or drop to all fours. I’m not feeling real particular at the moment.”

Her eyes widened briefly before narrowing on me. I saw fire in her and knew she was my equal. She’d never cower before me or bow to anything I wanted. She’d question and challenge, keeping me on my toes with anticipation. Even better, she was a woman who’d have my back, always. She’d defend me to the death as I would her. I wasn’t looking for another beta in my mate. I wanted an equal to meet me head-on, and she was all that and more.

“I know what kind of man you are,” she muttered, and I was completely enthralled.

“Tell me,” I commanded.

“You’re a man who gets what he wants,” she told me, and I knew she saw the smug satisfaction filling my face.

“Always,” I agreed.

“I imagine women drop their panties for you, thighs already damp, when you turn that smoldering look on them. I imagine they’ll do anything to please you.”

I growled, not wanting either of us thinking of other people. Frankly, I’d been too busy asserting my place and forming my own wolf pack to have time for a woman. I’d worked hard for everything I had, and I expected my mate to require no less effort. But her mention of other women irritated me.

“Will you do anything to please me?” She was the only woman I cared about, and that wouldn’t change until the day she gave me some female pups to watch over and protect.

“I know why you’re here, Bastion.”

My name on her lips was like ambrosia. I planned to hear her screaming it before the night ended. I planned to make her scream it loud and often in the years to come. I merely lifted a brow in response to her statement. Words failed me at the moment. My wolf was too close to the surface, both of us past the point of return. We wanted our mate, and we wanted her now.

“My father told me the elders asked you to take us in. I hope you’ll still agree, despite the change in plans.”

“What change is that?”

“My mating,” she stated bluntly. “I’m not a bitch in heat you can pass off to the male of your choosing.”

My growl filled the air. No one else would touch her. Ever. Where the hell had she gotten the idea I’d pass her off? I’d heard some wolf societies practiced multiple mates, and I had nothing against them. To each their own and all that. But the only dick my mate would worship for the rest of her life was mine. And my mouth would be the only one drinking her juices and swallowing her cries of pleasure. I’m a greedy bastard. I don’t fucking share.

“I’m not greeting you tomorrow and parading in front of you and whoever happens to be with you to be served up to the one who decides I’ll do as a mate.”

“Where the fuck did you get an idea like that?” I demanded. Had her father put that idea in her head? I’d made myself quite clear when I’d spoken with him. Raina was mine and only mine.

She shook her head, not answering me. “Whatever deal you’ve made with the elders, leave me out of it.”

Leave her out of it? There was no deal without her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I demanded when she turned and walked away from me.

“Goodnight, Bastion,” she said, glancing over her shoulder but not stopping.

“Don’t walk away from me!” The command left my lips with more fire than I’d intended. All I could focus on was her intent to leave me, and I couldn’t let her go.

Suddenly, she was in front of me, rising on her toes, teeth bared as she snarled in my face. “Why? You’re nothing to me, Bastion. You’re sure as hell not my alpha.”

I tried to remind myself of what she’d suffered at the loss of her brother and that her words weren’t meant to strike me like physical blows. My wolf wasn’t listening though. All it knew was she was denying us, planning to leave us, and there was no way that was happening.

I leaned down until we were nose-to-nose. “You…will…not…walk away from me.”

“Watch me,” she snarled again and took off toward the door.

“Raina.” My voice was soft in direct opposition to the tightly leashed force inside me.

She glanced over her shoulder warily, pausing with one hand pressed toward the exit.

“If you run, I’ll chase you. I’ll hunt you, and my wolf won’t be satisfied until I’m buried balls-deep in your tight cunt. So choose your next move carefully.”

She stared at me, her pink tongue flicking out to slick over her lips. It reminded me that I still hadn’t tasted her and marked her as mine. I planned to fuck her so much in the next twenty-four hours that my scent would cover her inside and out. I watched her like the hunter I was. I wanted her for the strong woman she was, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be my prey if that was the choice she made. God help me, I wanted her to run just so I could let out the beast inside me.

I was so attuned to her I felt the exact moment her body tensed in preparation to flee. One moment, she was there; the next, there was nothing but the slamming of the door. I ripped my shirt over my head, kicking off my shoes as I followed. I left my jeans by the door, already in mid-shift as I exited. The balmy night was ripe with a breeze that carried her scent to me. Throwing back my head, I howled a warning to any who might dare to interfere then set out to claim what was mine.

Chapter Four

Raina

I felt a pounding in my veins as I hauled ass toward the woods that butted against the parking lot. There was no time to spare. I could have headed toward my car. I might even have made it, but what would be the fun in that? For the first time since I’d returned to my hometown, I felt alive. I shouldn’t want Bastion James. He was arrogant and cocky and everything I hated about alpha males. But I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.

I’d just stripped to the skin when I heard the howl behind me. Bastion was coming for me, which meant soon, I’d be coming for him. With a leap, I shifted and took off at a fast sprint. I felt him behind me, glimpsed the massive wolf in my peripheral, but he seemed content to let me lead him on the merry chase. Maybe, it was because we both knew how this would end. With him inside me.

I wasn’t sure why my father had led me to believe what he had. I knew the moment Bastion looked at me he was the only man for me. I’d seen ownership in his gaze. Just to be sure, I’d taunted him with the idea of one of his group claiming me, and my man had nearly lost it. Any doubt in my heart had vanished then. That didn’t mean I’d easily give him what he wanted. No. Any man who wanted to be my mate would fucking work for it.

He had me when we hit the clearing, and honestly, I was tired of running. We circled each other. Every time I feinted in one direction, he was there, blocking my escape. I snarled at him, growling and flashing my teeth. He sat back on his haunches, just as arrogant in his wolf skin as in his human form.

I challenged him, growling and snapping, lunging for him, but Bastion didn’t move. He watched me, but I got the impression it was more to make sure I didn’t do anything to hurt myself rather than any concern for his own wellbeing. I’d say it pissed me off, but I’d be lying. I didn’t want a man I could control. I wanted one who’d keep my on my toes, one who’d challenge and push me to be a better woman. A man capable of protecting and defending me if the need ever arose. To be brutally honest, I needed a man who could dominate me, but only at times I chose. Bastion fit the bill on all those needs.

Finally, I sat on my haunches, staring at him. Simultaneously, we shifted, rising to our feet unabashedly naked. The heat of his stare singed over my skin, setting off an explosion of fire deep within me. I burned with need, ached with desire.

My gaze roamed over him. Dark hair hung about his broad shoulders. His dark eyes were almost black with lust. His chest and shoulders rippled with muscle, a dark smattering of hair there making me want to stroke my fingers through it, following the trail that led down to the ridged muscles of his abdomen and farther to the jutting virility of his arousal. I licked my lips and watched as a drop of pre-cum blossomed on the head of his cock. I wanted to touch him, to taste him.

“Kneel.”

“You first,” I snapped back.

“Will everything be a fight with you?”

“Yes. No. It depends.” He had me flustered with that question.

He stepped into me, his cock painting along my belly as our bodies brushed. “Good thing I’ve always enjoyed a fight.”

That was my only warning before he wrapped his fingers in my hair and jerked me to him. His mouth ravaged mine, and I gave as good as I got. No, I took. I climbed him like a tree, wrapping my arms and legs around him. His cock was long and thick, and I rubbed wantonly against him, grinding my sex along his shaft.

Bastion pulled from my kiss, and I bit down hard on his neck in retaliation.

“Fuck,” he grunted, moving one hand from my ass to touch the mark I’d made. Blood smeared his finger, and I leaned in and sucked it into my mouth before he moved it away.

“We’re getting to that. Foreplay first,” I growled, leaning in to lick his neck.

“Should it worry me that drawing blood is your idea of foreplay?”

“I didn’t take you for a man who worries about much,” I countered.

The next thing I knew, we were rolling on the ground. I could have been docile, spread my legs eagerly and let him take me. We both knew where we were headed, and we were equally eager to get there. But I needed more first. I needed him…unleashed. I wanted all of him, and I’d do what it took to force him to let go. So we crashed together, me going wild and him doing what he could to keep me from getting hurt. I rubbed against him, enticing and playing then pushing him away. I growled and nipped, scratching my nails over his skin.

He kissed me again, plundering my mouth and owning every inch of it, and I stilled beneath him. He took advantage of my temporary lack of motion and cuffed my wrists with his hand, lifting them over my head.

“My turn,” he muttered as he grazed my throat with his teeth.

I tried to move away, but he easily caged me, one massive thigh lifting and pinning my legs. I realized just how much he’d allowed. His erection pressed along my hip, hot and hard, and I couldn’t wait to feel it inside me. I thrashed under him, and the scrape of his teeth turned into a hard nip.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” he warned, his tongue soothing over the stinging spot.

“Hurt me good,” I urged, lifting my head and biting his chest.

He roared, and I swear I felt the leash keeping him in check snap. He was all over me. Teeth and tongue on my nipples. One hand still tethered my hands while the other stole between my thighs and zeroed in on my clit. He sucked one nipple deep, and I arched upward, forcing more of my breast into his mouth.

“Take me,” I moaned, and he thrust two fingers inside me. I lifted my knee, pulling my leg up in hopes of a deeper penetration. I was hot and horny and so ready for more.

Bastion moved his hips, and the head of his cock butted against my opening. The tip pressed into me, and I caught my breath at the sensations it created. He lifted his head, his gaze snagging mine. The intensity in his eyes made it impossible to look away. He rocked his hips, and more of his length filled me. I caught my breath. I felt speared by him, filled, yet I knew there was still more of his cock to take inside.

He finally released my hands, reaching down to loop his arms under my knees and spread me wider. He lifted to his knees and dropped his hands to the ground, pressing my knees toward my shoulders and forcing his cock deeper

“You’re mine,” he growled.

He thrust fully inside me before I could counter. Instead, I gasped, eyes going wide as my mouth fell open. Good God! I’d known he was big. I’d seen and felt his cock, but it was different when he filled me with it.

“Every fucking inch of you. Mine,” he growled again then began moving.

He powered into me and with my body bent in two there wasn’t much I could do but take it. I took that as an excuse to be selfish, to focus on what I felt and not worry whether or not it was good for him. Then again, his harsh groans and panting told me he felt just fine.

“Bastion.” His name was a moan of pleasure leaving my lips, and he paused.

“Wrap around my waist,” he commanded, dropping my legs.

I went for his mouth immediately, reaching up and gripping his hair with both hands, jerking his face down to mine. I needed to taste him, to touch him. I rubbed my nipples against his chest, and both of us groaned. Then I slid my hands down and sank my nails into his ass, urging him to move again. My legs gripped his hips, not because he’d told me to wrap them around him and I was being defiant but because holding him like that gave me leverage to meet him thrust for thrust.

We crashed against one another, our bodies pounding together so the air was filled with the slaps of flesh. He growled and grunted, possessing my mouth as thoroughly as he did my sex. And I took everything he gave and demanded more, more, more. I rubbed against him, making sure both nipples felt the abrasion of his chest hair, making sure his groin slapped my clitoris with every stroke. It drove me to the edge and sent me flying, screaming my rapture to the night sky.

“Over, baby,” Bastion urged, and I wasn’t sure how long he’d been speaking. I might have blacked out a little when my orgasm had hit me. I realized immediately he was no longer inside me, and I needed that corrected quickly. I whimpered with need and let his hands guide me until I was on my hands and knees, both of which shook.

Hard hands gripped my hips, and I felt him move over me. His legs were on the outside of mine, and he pressed down on the middle of my back, urging me to rearrange my body until I hit the position he wanted.

Then his cock slid deep again. There was no build up this time. He drove hard, owning my pussy with every powerful stroke. He covered me completely, his chest blanketing my back, his chin coming to rest at my shoulder. He nudged my head to the side, and I knew what he planned. I’d bitten him a few times, marking him with my sharp teeth. He was preparing to return the favor.

“Mine,” he growled once more as if I hadn’t already received the message.

He bit down hard on my trapezius muscle, sinking in his teeth and drawing blood. I bucked, unintentionally forcing his cock deeper, so deep it tapped against my cervix. There was pain at the depth of penetration, but there was pleasure, as well. I knew that pleasure was intensified by the fire of his saliva as it flooded my system, and I wondered briefly if he’d experienced the same sensation when I’d bitten him.

Bastion growled as he held me in place, one arm planted beside mine while his other snagged around my waist. His cock swelled inside me, locking us together more snugly than his hold, and I felt the first gush of his cum fill me. I dropped my upper body to the ground, turning my head into his arm and biting down on his forearm in an attempt to hold back my screams as his pleasure became a catalyst for my own. I flew higher this time, and I swore I saw fireworks behind my tightly closed lids.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed that way. All I knew was at some point, Bastion lifted me into his arms, holding me against his chest, and began walking.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked, the words slurring past lips that still tingled from what we’d shared. If this was the norm for having sex, I wondered why the hell I’d ever waited to experience it. Somehow, I knew it would only be this way with Bastion. He was why I’d waited.

“Home, baby,” he whispered, dropping a soft kiss on my lips. “We’re going home.”

I wondered briefly what my dad would say when a naked Bastion carried an equally naked me into our house. Then again, this was exactly what my dad had wanted. Me mated, linking the two wolf packs completely. I wanted to be angry that I’d fallen in line with those plans, but I couldn’t. I wanted Bastion, and now, I had him.

I felt safe and secure in his arms and let my body relax completely. He murmured something, but sleep was already tugging at me. I snuggled closer to him, burying my head in his neck and slipping blissfully away.

Chapter Five

Bastion

Simon, one of the most trusted members of my team, met me with a blanket when I stepped from the cover of the woods. He averted his gaze, standing in front of me to block my mate from any other eyes as I quickly wrapped the blanket around her. Raina had fallen into an exhausted slumber, so exhausted my movements didn’t jar her awake.

Dark circles under her eyes spoke of a bone-deep weariness, and I couldn’t help but wonder when she’d last truly rested. I wanted to lock her away from the world where nothing could touch her, save me, and I planned to do so often. Hell, I’d only had a taste of her so far, and my cock was already hungrily rising again, ready to find its home inside her.

“Let me take her, Bas,” Simon offered as he nodded to a pile of clothes on the ground. Those closest to me had the habit of shortening my name and putting the z sound on the end. “Your clothes are there.”

“I’ve got her.” The words came with a growl of displeasure I couldn’t prevent. Raina wore only a blanket. She was all but naked, and though I trusted Simon with my life, I didn’t like the idea of any man holding her.

Simon laughed. “Seriously, you don’t want to drop her, and I don’t think she’d appreciate you putting her on the ground. I’ll be easy. Hold her as I would a child, just long enough for you to get dressed.”

“If you touch her skin, I’ll gut you.”

Simon blanched but held out his arms, and after a brief inner struggle, I handed her over. I’d never dressed so fast in my life. I swear I quit breathing until I felt her slight weight filling my arms again.

“Where are we going?” Simon asked as he opened the passenger door of the SUV for me. I waited until he jumped behind the wheel before answering.

“Home.”

Simon didn’t question me as I knew some of the others might, especially my sister, Belinda. She’d argued with me since the request to take on another group of wolves had come in. She worried about me, always had. She seemed convinced Raina’s brother’s death hadn’t been an accident. In fact, my sister was certain he’d been murdered. I’d assigned a few of my most trusted members to look into it, but we’d yet to find any indication her assumptions had validity.

I’d already warned everyone to keep their lips sealed about Belinda’s suspicions. Raina had been close to her brother, and I could see the physical toll his death had taken on her. The last thing I wanted was to make her think his death was more than an accident. Besides, it didn’t make sense. If someone had killed Rowan Byrd, surely they would have attempted to step forward and take control of those who’d been left behind. No one had. As much as I loved my sister and accepted she was…different, I didn’t think she was right in this.

Raina moaned as she wiggled in my arms. I crooned softly to her, pressing my lips against her hair. She buried her nose in my neck and with a deep inhale, settled into sleep once more. It was impossible for me to think of anything or anyone else for long when I held Raina against me. She’d wreak havoc with my job as head of our motley group. I already knew I’d need to have Simon repeat whatever it was he was saying. I hadn’t the faintest idea what he’d told me, and it could be important. Right now, all I knew was I’d found my mate, my purpose. She was my reason for existing. Not my role within our society. Not my role as brother and friend. It was my role as hers, her mate, her lover, and hopefully, someday, her reason to be, as well.

“Bas.” Simon sounded exasperated.

“What?”

“I asked if you wanted me to move Bee for the rest of the night. Give you some privacy.”

Simon had a crush on my sister, and as much as I liked the idea of the two of them together, she’d refused. She said he wasn’t meant for her. She swore her mate was coming for her, and there was no arguing with her. I shook my head.

“No. My home will always be her home. My mate doesn’t change that.” I glanced down at Raina. “It’ll be fine.”

Simon nodded, and I ignored him for the rest of the drive. In my hurry, I managed to get the front door open without jostling Raina too much while Simon tried to keep up. I’d hoped my sister would be asleep by now, but she sat on the bottom of the stairs when I stepped inside. Her eyes were wide, her fingers twined closely together in her lap, and I knew she’d had an episode. For the first time in our lives, I found myself annoyed by her and guilt ate at me.

“Belinda, everything okay?” I asked. Though she often went by the nickname Bee, she’d always be Belinda to me.

“She brings change. I see death and birth, love and hate, celebration and mourning.” Her words were whispered almost as if she wasn’t aware of what she was saying.

“Belinda,” I rebuked.

She blinked again, slowly focusing on where I waited, my arms full of my mate. My voice seemed to have broken whatever spell she’d been under, and a smile lit her face as she rose and practically skipped over to me. She stood on tiptoe to stare at Raina for a long moment.

“Your mate brings life, and all that comes with it,” Belinda said then grinned. “We’re going to have a new alpha in the house.”

“The hell we will,” I growled, but my sister just giggled.

“Oh, we will. When’s the mating ceremony taking place?”

“Soon,” I barked. I’d get back to her statement about a new alpha later. She’d thrown out the one thing sure to pull my attention in another direction. A mating ceremony.

I glanced down at Raina. She was already my mate, our bond sealed in blood. But had Raina agreed to mating? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter. I’d get everything prepared so we could say our vows the following evening. Once Raina and I became one, so would our families.

Right now, all I could think about was getting my little mate into my bed and stripping the blanket from her. I wanted to spend the rest of the night learning every inch of her body, even if it was only visually.

“Good night, Bastion.”

My sister patted my arm then turned and headed back upstairs toward her bedroom. Simon had already ducked out, leaving me alone with my mate. I carried her down the hallway toward the master bedroom at the back of the house. I’d taken it for mine the second we’d taken possession of the home on the outskirts of the land Raina’s community called home. Once, they’d been known as the Rigton pack, named after the county they lived in. As of today, they were part of the James pack.

I laid Raina on the bed then slowly unwrapped the blanket. She was the best gift I’d ever uncovered, and I licked my lips in anticipation. Before, I’d experienced a rush and an overwhelming layer of lust that made me want to claim and mark her. Now, I found myself wanting to take my time, to explore every inch of her and commit her to memory. Christ, I’d never been so consumed by a woman. She made me want to beat my chest and shout to the world that she belonged to me and only me. I’d kill for her, die for her, lay waste to anything that dared stand against her. At the same time, she made me weak. Emotions I’d never felt roared through me.

I ran my hand along her side, needing to feel the softness of her skin against mine once more. Her eyes slowly blinked open.

“You stayed.”

Her comment threw me, but I nodded. Had she thought I’d put her in my bed and leave her? “I’m not through with you yet.”

Her smile was slow and sultry, and my dick pulsed beneath my zipper.

“You got more, wolf man?”

Her tone was a throaty purr. I came over her quickly, taking her mouth and ravaging it with my tongue. God, she tasted of salt and tequila and something sweeter just underneath, something uniquely her. I couldn’t get enough of it. I kissed my way down her neck, taking my time to suck both her nipples into tight, wet peaks, pulling more of those throaty sounds from her before nipping and licking my way lower.

I breathed in her scent first, the mouthwatering aroma of her sex filling my senses and making me ache to taste her. I glided my tongue between her folds, zeroing in on the tight bud of her clitoris. She tremored and caught her breath, and I pressed my lips fully around the nub, sucking it then rasping my teeth over it. Her long legs wrapped around me, locking me to her, and I gave in with a chuckle, devouring her and enjoying every drop of juice I worked from her. I could have spent hours there, driving her to orgasm over and over again, but my dick was a needy bastard and demanded inside her.

I moved off her only long enough to strip then I was between her legs again, driving home. No words this time. We fucked, clawing and scratching and biting. We pulled and tugged at one another as we took and gave. She met me need for need, taking everything I offered and making demands of her own. We rolled across the bed, switching positions as the mood struck. I had her on her back, on her side, on her knees, then over me, riding me while I bucked up, burying my cock deep inside her.

We spent hours learning each other. Each orgasm acted as a catalyst for more. By the time we’d finally worked ourselves into physical exhaustion, the sun had just started to rise. I dragged myself over to the windows and dropped the blackout curtains into place over them before collapsing on the bed once more. I managed to get us both under the sheet, tugging Raina so she lay partway on me, her head nestled into my shoulder. It was the way I wanted to fall asleep every night for the rest of my life. With her. Always with her.

Chapter Six

Raina

I woke up wrapped in Bastion James. One hairy thigh was thrown over my legs, while a palm cupped my breast, his fingers occasionally rubbing over my nipple even though he was asleep. I debated whether I wanted to move or stay right where I was. I wasn’t in my own bed, which meant Bastion must have brought me to his home. I closed my eyes and held in my groan.

I’d mated with him last night. There was no going back from the path I’d started down, and I didn’t really want to. That didn’t mean I wasn’t reeling with a million questions this morning. I should probably work on answers before I lost my head again, as happened whenever my mate touched me.

I held my breath and tensed to slide off the bed. Bastion’s arm tightened around me.

“Where you going?” His voice was deep, raspy from sleep.

Before I could answer, he tugged me even closer, so close his cock pressed along my ass. Just that quickly, I pushed back against him, rubbing wantonly along his length.

Bastion grunted, and I found myself on my hands and knees with his cock powering deep with one, hard stroke. I fisted the bedding and spread my legs wider so I could rock back into every thrust. His hands were firm, rough, and I enjoyed every caress. He covered me, his chest stroking my back, as if he couldn’t bear not having me against him.

His lips were on my neck, teeth and tongue, tasting me. One hand splayed over mine, our fingers entwined atop the covers. His other hand rode low on my belly, keeping my hips arched the way he wanted them. And his voice… That raspy, sexy voice sent shivers through me as he growled dirty things in my ear.

“Your pussy is so hot, so wet. Tighter than a fucking vise. I swear my dick found heaven and doesn’t ever want to leave. I want to go to sleep buried balls-deep in your cunt and wake up just the same.”

“Bastion.”

“I love the way you moan my name. Love those little mewling sounds you make when I hit just the right spot inside you.”

His hand slid lower until his fingertips brushed my clit. Then he grasped it between his thumb and forefinger and pinched. I came with a scream, my body bucking and rolling beneath him. My legs gave out, and I dropped to the bed, trapping his hand between my thighs. Bastion kept fucking. He adjusted his body to my new position and kept powering in and out of me, drawing out my orgasm, intensifying it until every inch of me felt electrically charged.

“Come again, Raina,” Bastion urged, surrounding my clit with two of his fingers and rubbing up and down. “Drown my cock. I want everyone to smell you on me for the rest of the day. Show them who I belong to, baby. Just like I’m going to fill this tight, little pussy with my cum. Then I’m going to pull my cock out and coat your ass in me. God, you’ve got the best fucking ass. I want to spread your cheeks and work my cock in.”

I shuddered as another orgasm went through me. I’d never thought of taking a man in my ass, but his words had me eager to try. It should have terrified me, or at least made me nervous, but there wasn’t anything he could mention I wouldn’t be willing to try. It scared me and excited me at the same time. How could one person make me feel so much?

“Bastion.” I didn’t scream his name. I barely managed to moan it as I came again and again.

He grunted in response, and I felt the hot splash of his cum inside me before his cock was gone. His seed hit the small of my back then higher before the head of his cock pressed between my cheeks, the tip kissing my anus. I caught my breath, wondering if he’d push inside, but he didn’t. He rested it there, coating me in him.

I expected him to drop over me or beside me. What I didn’t expect was to feel him rubbing his cum into my skin, making sure his scent, our scents, and the sex we’d shared would linger on me for the rest of the day. No shifter would get within a mile of me without smelling Bastion all over me. He placed a kiss on my shoulder then lay on the bed beside me. I turned my head and wasn’t surprised to find his gaze centered on mine. The man seemed hell bent on owning every inch of me.

“About this mating,” I began, and his eyes narrowed.

“You’re mine, Raina. We’ve very thoroughly mated one another.”

“We haven’t had a ceremony,” I reminded him, and a growl escaped his lips.

“Which is the only reason you’ll leave my bed before the end of the week.”

“You plan to keep me in bed all week?” I teased.

“This ceremony is for you and the tradition your elders hold to. As far as I’m concerned, you became mine the moment I touched you. Maybe, I need to keep you in my bed until you feel the same way.”

I lifted a brow at his arrogance. “Down, wolf boy. I’m not denying we’re mates. Though, I think we’ll have to have a talk about what that means.”

“I know perfectly well what it means. You’re mine.”

I snorted. “I’m not a possession.”

“You’re the only possession that matters to me.”

It was hard to find fault when he said things like that, when he looked at me the way he did. And God, the way he touched me.

“Bastion, I can’t spend a week in your bed. I have a job, a life, friends, my father.”

“Your job is here with me. You’ve mated the alpha. There are many responsibilities that come with that.”

“I appreciate that you’re the head of both groups now, but I have a job I love. As a nurse, I help provide a needed service. You know how important it is to have reliable medical care for shifters. We can’t go to a human hospital or clinic.”

“I’m not just the head of both groups.” The words snapped from his lips. He was on me quickly, rolling me to my back and looming over me. “I’m the alpha, your alpha. I want to hear you say it.”

I shook my head, my heart aching. “No.”

“The moment you took my blood, my cum, you accepted me as such,” he snarled.

“I accepted you as my mate, nothing more,” I fired back.

“I know you lost your brother. I get that you’re hurt—”

“You get nothing,” I yelled, lifting my head until my face was inches from his. “Being my mate doesn’t make you my alpha. My alpha died, and no one will ever take his place. Not even you.”

“I won’t argue with you about this. You’re emotional.”

I headbutted him, slamming my forehead against his nose, not caring when the spray of his blood rained down on me.

“Son of a bitch!” he roared, lifting a hand to staunch the flow, and I used the opportunity to shove him off me.

I leapt off the bed, not bothering to search for clothes since I’d strip once I hit the outdoors. Funny how I’d just thought there was nothing he’d suggest I wouldn’t be onboard with. Apparently, I’d been wrong. I slammed the door open, not stopping when I heard my name bellowed behind me. I hit the stairs at a run, taking them two at a time as I made my way to the front door.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” I snarled at the few of Bastion’s group, who seemed ready to step in and stop me.

“Raina!” Bastion thundered, but I didn’t care. I needed air. I needed…anyplace that didn’t smell of Bastion James.

One man stepped in front of me. “The alpha is calling you.”

“Not my alpha!” I screamed, and they echoed in my head on repeat, making me hot and dizzy. I channeled all of it into moving him out of my way. I hit him with all I had, heard the oomph as he lost air. Then he was flying away from me as a growl filled the air. My growl. I flung the door open and took two steps before a woman moved in front of me.

She had long dark hair, but it was her eyes that drew my gaze. So pale blue it was like peering into Caribbean waters. They seemed to hold so much knowledge. She bent at the waist, bowing to me, and when she rose, her eyes twinkled.

“I was waiting for you,” she said, and I hurriedly glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see Bastion looming behind me.

“I’m speaking to you, Raina,” she said, drawing my gaze back to her. “You’re the person I’ve been waiting for. Now, we begin to live.”

I shook my head, not understanding her. How could a stranger have been waiting for me? And what did she mean that they’d start to live now? They were already living. I turned from her and shifted mid-leap, quickly switching from human to wolf. I hit the ground running, knowing I needed to get away.

Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I would easily fall in love with Bastion. We’d known each other less than a day, and I was already mated to him. When wolves mated, it was for a lifetime. I accepted that. What I couldn’t accept, what I’d never accept, was that Bastion James was my alpha. That he’d never be.

I’d already had one of those, and Rowan had been my whole world. I’d shared all my hopes and dreams with him. He’d been my confidant, my best friend, my protector. He’d been my alpha, then he’d died.

I’d talked to him the day before the accident. We’d had an argument. He’d called, demanding I come home, and I’d argued that I wanted to stay at college and take another course. Rowan had put down the law as only he could.

I’m your alpha, Raina. No matter where you go, I will always be your alpha. I expect you here within the week. Do I make myself clear?

I’d hung up, mad at the world but knowing I’d head home the next day. He’d died before I’d been able to leave. While I’d fumed over his summons, my brother had been killed in an explosion. His last words still resonated inside me. Bastion couldn’t be anything more than my mate. Rowan had been my alpha, and he always would be.

Chapter Seven

Raina

I wandered aimlessly, or at least, I thought I did. I should have trusted my animal instincts to lead me exactly where I needed to be. In another mile, I’d arrive at the place where my entire life had changed, where the charring from the burning vehicle still marked the ground. It was as if the earth itself mourned Rowan’s loss, refusing to bring forth even a blade of grass where his life had been taken.

I stopped at the edge of the trees and sat back on my haunches. Raising my nose into the air, I howled my misery to the sky. How could I feel so alive one moment and so empty the next?

At some point, I shifted, naked ass on the ground, knees hugged to my chest as I cried. Rowan had always been larger than life, and I wasn’t talking about his size. It was his personality. The way he owned a room as soon as he entered it. His big, booming laugh had been so infectious. And his heart… No one had ever loved me as deeply as my brother.

He’d been ten years older than me. My most-treasured possession was a picture of him holding me shortly after I was born. My little face looked up at him as if even then, some part of me had known he was my hero. My dad had been busy being head of our society. My mom had given birth and gone right back to work as our doctor. So Rowan had been the one to watch over me. He’d kissed my scrapes and bruises, been my parent, my confidant, and my best friend other than Ivy. Knowing our last words had ended with me hanging up on him nearly killed me.

I lifted my head, sensing an approaching wolf. A small, black wolf. She smelled of Bastion, but before I got my hackles up, she shifted. She held up her hand as if she were afraid I’d take off on her, but I wasn’t going anywhere. All the run was out of me.

“I’m Belinda, but most people call me Bee. Except Bastion. I’ve always been Belinda to him.” Her soft voice was a bit mesmerizing. “My brother went to your family, your old home. I knew you’d come here.”

I tilted my head, curious. “How did you know that?”

She sat beside me, mirroring my pose. “Because it’s where I’d go if I lost my brother. This is the last place Rowan was.” She closed her eyes. “I can feel him here.”

“Me, too.”

She gave me a funny look then shrugged. Before I could question her, she spoke again. “I told my brother you’d bring life to us, but I don’t really care about the others.”

“I… What?”

She’d been sitting beside me for only a few minutes, and my head already spun. It was hard to follow her train of thought.

She turned suddenly, dropping her knees to the side and facing me. She was unconcerned with her nudity, a trait I shared, as did most wolves. For some reason, I hadn’t expected it from her. There was just something innocent about her.

“You and I are a lot alike,” she said, her voice urgent as if she wouldn’t have time to share everything she wanted to. “Your brother raised you. Bastion raised me. He saw to my every need. When others said he should cast me out or send me to another pack where I’d be safer, my brother shed blood. He’s not leader by birth. He’s alpha by blood, blood he’s shed to hold his place in our group. He’s hard with most people. He’s had to be. Everyone respects him and fears him, but for the longest time, I’ve been the only one to love him. He’s been alone. Alive but not really living. Not for himself anyway. He lives for everyone else, and someday, he’ll die for them. Or so I feared. Now, there’s you.”

“I can’t change who Bastion is,” I warned her, but she shook her head and smiled.

“You already have. I saw it when he carried you in last night. He couldn’t look away from you. He’s yours now Raina Byrd. Don’t break him.” Her pale-blue eyes flashed with anger.

“Bastion James belongs to no one,” I told her with a laugh.

“I used to think that, too. He belongs now. With you. To you. He belongs.” She paused again, closing her eyes and tilting her head as if she heard someone whispering to her. It was eerie. Then she opened her eyes, and the pale-blue seemed to glow. “He’s coming. Talk to him. Accepting Bastion as your alpha doesn’t mean you’re betraying your brother. Ask yourself what your brother would want for you. I know what Bastion has always wanted for me.”

“What?”

“Love and happiness. I’ll have it soon. My mate is coming for me. Even now, he’s searching. Finally, I’ll have someone to accept me completely as I am.”

With those parting words, she turned, and the black wolf was there again. She lifted her nose to the air, gave a mournful wail then sprinted into the woods, disappearing as swiftly as she’d appeared.

She seemed lonely and maybe a bit sad. Her love for Bastion was fierce; something I understood. I’d been the same with Rowan. I still was.

I pushed to my feet and walked toward the spot where Rowan had died. I wondered if he’d felt pain or if it had been as quick as my father promised. I wondered what his last thoughts had been and if I’d been in them.

I squatted and touched the charred earth. There were days I felt just as desolate.

I sensed Bastion before the wolf appeared. Our connection was already growing. I was aware of his anger, but a resonating sense of worry overpowered it. I cast a glance toward him then turned back to the ground, palm flat as if I could reconnect with my brother, a fruitless effort.

Wolf changed to man, and I waited for the yelling. Bastion said nothing. He came over and stood behind me. Though we were both naked, there was nothing sexual about it. I held my breath, waiting to see what he’d do, what he’d say. He went to his knees behind me, wrapped his arms around me and held me. It was then I felt his fear. I’d made Bastion feel afraid.

“I’m sorry. I—”

“I’m the one who should apologize,” he interrupted. “I don’t ever want to make you feel the need to run from me.”

“I…” I paused, licked my lips and started again. “The last time I spoke with Rowan, we argued. I was mad, and I hung up on him. By the time I got here…he was gone.”

Bastion remained silent. His hand stroked softly along my belly. Maybe, it was his touch or the fact that I couldn’t see his face. Maybe, it was the silent way he listened. My mouth opened, and everything poured out of me.

“He wanted me to come home. He said I was needed here.” I shook my head. “I didn’t want to. He told me he was my alpha, and that no matter where I was, he’d always be my alpha. Then he commanded me to come home. I hung up on him. He called me back, and I ignored it. I went to bed mad, but I knew I’d head home the next day. Rowan must have needed something. He called me again the following morning. I didn’t answer.”

“Shh,” Bastion crooned, and it was then I realized I was crying.

I turned to him and let him wrap me against him while I sobbed. I’d never told anyone about the phone calls. Ivy knew about my final conversation with Rowan, but I’d kept the unanswered calls to myself. The guilt had been eating away at me.

“I knew your brother,” Bastion said, and I laid my head on his shoulder, staring up at him. “We met a few times. He was a good guy, a strong leader. I respected him. The last time we spoke was a few weeks before the accident.”

“What did you talk about?”

“You,” Bastion said and laughed. “He’d get a kick out of this.”

“Out of what?” I asked.

“Us,” Bastion said then continued before I could ask another question. “Your brother wanted to form an alliance between us. Not a merge the way your elders agreed to.”

“Why would my brother want an alliance?”

Bastion shrugged. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask. At least, not that question. I asked what was in it for me.” He sighed as if feeling guilty for that.

“I would have asked the same question,” I assured him. “What did Rowan say?”

“He said he knew a fiery blonde with big eyes, who could use a strong mate to keep her corralled.” Bastion laughed as I realized who Rowan had been talking about.

“He wanted us to mate?” I knew my face looked horrified, but it had nothing to do with Bastion or not wanting him as my mate. It was the thought of my brother trading me for an alliance.

“Your brother wouldn’t have given you without your consent,” Bastion swore. “You know that better than I do, I’m sure. I think he would have introduced us, given me the chance to see for myself how amazing you are. He was right about you.”

“How so?”

“It’ll definitely take a strong mate to keep you corralled. Luckily, I’m perfect for the job.”

I snorted and smacked his chest. “You think my brother was calling me home to meet you?”

Bastion shrugged. “I have no idea, Raina. There could be a million reasons why he wanted you home. Do I want to believe it was so we could meet? Yes, because it would feel as if we had his blessing. I know that would mean a lot to you. I know how important he was to you. How important he’ll always be.” He cupped my face. “I don’t have to be your alpha, but I am your mate. As such, I need you to listen to me, to talk to me. Don’t run from me.”

“I didn’t run from you. I ran from…everything. We just met last night. Now, we’re mated, and you’re giving me orders. I needed to breathe.”

“I’m not an easy man. I’m arrogant and demanding. As a mate…I promise I’ll never say or do anything to hurt you intentionally. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. I’m a male, and my sister tells me that makes stupidity inherent.”

I laughed. “I met your sister. She’s very smart.”

His lips twitched. “She’s a minx, but she means well.”

“She loves you,” I whispered.

“It’s what siblings do.”

I nodded. It was. Rowan had always kept me safe, and now, I had to wonder if he still watched over me.

“I think I’m going to love you, Bastion James.” The words left my lips and resonated inside me. His slow smile made my heart beat faster.

“I already love you, Raina James. You’ve been mine since the moment I saw you.”

“My name’s not James yet,” I reminded him, but I had to admit I liked the sound of it. Just as I liked the way he called me his.

“Tonight, it will be.”

“Tonight? We can’t have a mating ceremony that quickly!”

“Can and will,” he challenged, surging to his feet with me in his arms. I quickly looped my arm around his neck to hang on.

“Bastion,” I argued when an SUV pulled up.

“It’s just Simon,” Bastion said as he moved toward it.

The man who stepped out had his head averted and held out a blanket. “Seriously, Alpha. Will this be a habit with you two?”

“Shut up, Simon,” Bastion said.

“What does he mean habit?” I asked as Bastion wrapped the blanket around me.

“I’ll tell you later,” he replied. “We’ve got a mating ceremony to prepare for.”

Chapter Eight

Bastion

I held my breath as Raina walked toward me. Our pack had gathered to witness our joining. For them, it was the joining of two groups of wolves. After this, they’d all be protected under my name. For me, it was solely her. The woman I’d been too afraid to hope for would spend the rest of our lives at my side. She’d bear our children. She’d lead at my side. My sister was correct. Raina brought life to us. Life and purpose.

Her long, blonde hair hung loosely around her, and the lights that had been strung up in the backyard made it shimmer. She wore a white, sleeveless dress, her feet bare. She was the most beautiful woman in the world to me.

“Breathe before you pass out,” Belinda said, throwing her elbow into my side from her place next to me. Tradition dictated I have a wolf brother at my side, but my beta had yet to show himself. Besides, long before it was the James pack, it had been just Belinda and me. It felt right to have her beside me. I reached back and took her hand, giving her fingers a squeeze.

“Thanks,” I whispered back to her.

“She’s beautiful.”

I nodded. Raina was breathtaking. The rest of the world faded away the moment she stopped beside me and looked up. She glowed, and the light inside her lit me up. I let go of my sister’s hand and reached for Raina’s.

The ceremony was a blur. I said the words needed, but this was all pomp as far as I was concerned. We’d already mated last night when it had been just the two of us in the woods. I couldn’t wait to get her alone again. I wanted to sink deep inside her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life filling her tight pussy with my cum, marking her over and over again as mine. I wanted to taste the sweet juice of her cunt on my tongue, feel it dripping down my cock and balls.

“Finish it,” I ordered and heard a few snickers from the crowd. Raina’s cheeks went a soft rose, and her lids lowered. I saw the pink swish of her tongue over her bottom lip and had to bite back a groan.

When I was told to kiss my mate, I dove and devoured. My fingers tightened in her hair as my tongue plunged deep. Raina met my ferocity with her own. Her arms curled under mine. She gripped my shoulders, nails digging deep as we kissed.

The howls of many wolves broke the spell she had me under, and giving a howl of my own, I tossed Raina over my shoulder and headed back the way she’d come.

I ignored the well wishes, hearing nothing but Raina’s laughter as I carried her into the house and to our bedroom.

“Strip,” I commanded.

There was heat in her eyes as our gazes met. Then she turned her back, glancing at me over her shoulder. “Get the zipper for me.”

I ordered myself to go easy, not to rip her dress. Nothing but bare skin filled my gaze as I followed her direction. She helped by shimmying her hips. The dress pooled at her feet, leaving her naked. I groaned, reaching down to palm her ass and give her cheeks a squeeze.

“On the bed. Hands and knees.” The words were gruff as I made quick work of taking my clothes off.

Instead, Raina turned and dropped to her knees. I’d just kicked away my pants, and my cock rose high along my belly, thick and hard with anticipation. She gripped my shaft and pointed it toward her mouth. I shuddered at the first touch of her tongue then growled when she sucked in the head.

“Fuck,” I muttered, cupping the back of her head to encourage her to keep going.

She worked her tongue along the underside of my dick, sucking as she moved her mouth up and down my length. One of her hands cupped my ball sac while the other wrapped just under her lips on my cock. She glided her palm in counterpoint to her lips. As she drew back to the tip, her fingers slid to the base then both met again in the center of my shaft. She added a twist and did something with her tongue that had me seeing stars. My balls tightened, and I knew if I didn’t end this soon, she’d be swallowing my cum instead of wearing it in her pussy.

“Raina.” I tugged at her hair, pulling her off me. “I need to be inside you. Now!”

“You were,” she rasped then leapt on me.

She took my mouth as her legs tightened around my waist, and she ground her hot pussy on my dick. I tumbled her to the bed underneath me, and with one slight tilt of my hips, I was in heaven. Her pussy squeezed my dick, pulling a grunt from me as I fucked her. She drew up her knees to grip my hips. Her nails dug into my shoulders, and we both got lost in each other.

I wanted to touch every inch of her. She arched her neck, and I knew she was close to orgasm. I pulled my dick out and shoved my shoulders between her thighs, taking her over with my tongue and fingers. I drank her juices, pressing my tongue as deeply inside her as I could get, wanting to savor every drop of her pleasure. While she was still catching her breath, I flipped her over and lifted her hips, coming up behind her and thrusting back into her pussy.

She growled against the sheets and spread her knees wider. The way she rocked back into me let me know how much she enjoyed it. Good thing because I was powerless to stop. My balls tingled, signaling I was close to finding my own release. I was determined to get her off again first.

“Play with your clit, Raina.”

She whimpered and moved a hand down her body. I wanted to watch her touch herself and promised myself I would next time. Right now, it was enough to watch her eyes slip closed as her lips parted and she panted. I felt the tiny ripples of her channel along my shaft.

“Faster,” I commanded as my strokes grew jerky. “Make your pussy come on me. Now, Raina.”

She cried out as she tightened around me. I slammed deep and held there while my seed shot into her. She clamped on me, her pussy milking every drop of cum from my cock. Then her fingertips brushed my balls, and I saw stars as more cum left me, so much that it dripped from her. I scooped it up with fingers and brought it to her ass, massaging it into the tight rosette of her anus.

“Mmm,” Raina moaned as she removed her hand and collapsed under me. I followed her down, my weight pinning her to the bed. I needed to move, but first I needed to catch my breath.

“Move…in a sec…” I promised, and she reached around and patted me, holding me atop her. I let her for a brief moment then reluctantly pulled my cock from its preferred home and rolled to her side.

I pulled her over so her head rested on my chest while I stroked my fingers through her hair. I hadn’t been lying when I’d told her I’d loved her from the moment I’d seen her. I’d heard tell that some wolves knew their mates from scent or sight. I’d scoffed then, but I understood perfectly now. Raina was mine. All mine. I wanted to keep her in bed until her belly swelled with our first child, but somehow, I doubted she’d allow it.

Raina lifted her head. “Do you think Belinda sent everyone on their way?”

I shrugged. I didn’t care.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“How long before I can bury my cock in you again,” I answered and felt it twitch against my thigh when she glanced down.

“I could help with that,” she offered, walking her fingers down my belly. I shifted my legs wide, giving her full access, and she didn’t disappoint. Raina kissed her way down my chest, nipping my nipple with her teeth as she worked her way toward my cock. It had already started to rise to the occasion, and the first kiss of breath had me groaning.

“Hands behind your head, James,” she ordered when I reached for her.

I lifted my brow at her tone, but she just grinned.

“You want my mouth; you follow my orders, Alpha.”

I put my hands behind my head, lacing my fingers.

She took my cock between her lips again. There was no slow build. There was only heat and wet and the glide of tongue and teeth. I thrust up, pressing more of my length in her mouth, and she gave me a sharp nip that had pre-cum leaking from my tip.

“Suck me, Raina,” I ordered then softened my tone when her gaze flicked up to mine. “Suck.”

It took all I had to lie there without reaching for her. The longer she sucked the more I wanted to flip her over and fuck her. I could tell by the devilment in her gaze that she knew it. Still, I did my best to do as she bid. I gritted my teeth, eyes closed tightly, as she took me to the back of her throat and held me there for a brief moment. My eyes snapped open when her mouth disappeared, and she straddled me. I sat up, grabbing her waist and helping her seat herself on my cock. She slammed down, grinding against me before rocking her hips with me buried deep.

“Fuck!” I snarled.

“Yes,” she agreed, rising and falling on my shaft.

I cupped her breast with one hand, plumping it before leaning forward and sucking her nipple. Her juices ran down my shaft, coating my balls, and I knew true happiness. It was here, with her, my cock buried balls-deep inside her.

“Bastion,” she whispered.

I grunted in acknowledgement, words beyond me.

“I lied earlier.”

“About me being your alpha,” I teased and felt the sharp press of her nails against my scalp in response. Still, there was softness in her gaze when she looked at me.

“About thinking I’m going to love you.”

My heart stopped, and a growl left my lips.

“You’re mine. My mate. My woman. You’ll learn to love me.”

She laughed then leaned in and kissed me.

“I meant I already love you, Bastion James. I didn’t mean to. I planned to leave when my father mentioned a mating between me and one of your group.”

“Me. It was always a mating with me,” I snapped. “I made myself very clear to you father.” He still professed he’d withheld that fact from her out of fear she’d try to run. It wouldn’t have mattered, though. I’d have followed, no matter where she went.

She nodded. “I swore I wouldn’t mate you. Then I saw you, and it was as if you wrapped around me from across the room. I wanted you, and it scared me.”

“You have nothing to fear from me, Raina. I swear it.”

She bobbed her head again. “I know that, Bastion. What I’m trying to say is I loved you the moment I saw you, too. I didn’t want to. I fought it, but I do. I do, and I will for the rest of our lives.”

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Arrogant,” she said with a laugh that turned to a surprised squeak when I rolled us over and took control from her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and jerked my head down to meet her lips. Our kiss was as wild as our lovemaking. I pounded into her, wringing out her cries of pleasure.

I watched her as she came and kept my gaze on her as my cum filled her once more.

“You’re mine, Raina James. Mine.”

“All yours,” she agreed, and I felt like the luckiest man alive.

Epilogue

Raina

Two months later…

“Bastion!” I yelled as I made my way into the house. I found Belinda sitting on the couch thumbing through a bridal magazine. I didn’t ask. If I’d learned anything over the last two months, it was that I didn’t usually understand Belinda’s reasons for things. All I knew was she’d yet to be wrong about anything, including what she’d told me earlier.

“He’s in your room,” she offered as she stood. “He said he was jumping in the shower real quick.”

“Thanks,” I called and hurried to the bedroom.

I stripped down when I heard the water still running and stepped in behind him. I loved his body. He was all strength and brawn, the perfect contrast to my softer curves. He turned immediately and pulled me into his arms, and it was second nature to spring up and wrap my legs around his waist. His cock hardened, and he pushed me up with a hand on my ass. I reached down and guided him to my opening, and he let me sink down on him.

We both groaned between kisses as my back hit the shower wall. Bastion pounded into me. God, I loved the way he fucked me. He took me as if he owned me, and he did, though I’d never tell him that. He was arrogant enough, and the news I’d received today would have him strutting for a long time.

He lifted me higher, sucking my nipple into his mouth and it made me go off like a shot. They’d been extra sensitive lately, and now, I knew why. I came hard, seeing a kaleidoscope of colors behind my eyes as I clung to him. He moved his lips to my neck, growling my name as he filled me with his cum.

I was weak in the knees when he set me down. Thankfully, he held me up while he cleaned us both. Then he carried me to our bed, not bothering with a towel.

“We’re soaking the sheets,” I warned but Bastion only shrugged.

“How’s Ivy doing?” he asked, and I felt color fill my cheeks at the lie I’d told him earlier in the day.

“I didn’t see her today,” I confessed.

He lifted a brow. “Where’d you hurry off to?”

“I had an appointment to keep.”

“What kind of appointment?” He studied me then cupped my breasts. “Doctor? You’re pregnant?”

I nodded, unsurprised that he’d figured it out so quickly. Bastion probably knew my body better than I did.

“I’m pretty sure this little one was conceived in the woods on our first night together,” I said, rubbing my belly.

He dropped his hand to cradle mine then bent and dropped a kiss below my bellybutton.

“Hello, little one,” he said. “This is your dad. I expect you to be nice to your mother. This will be an easy pregnancy. No sickness. She needs to grow big and strong, so you can be, as well. Do you understand me?”

I grinned. Of course, he’d already be giving dictates. Little did he know the joke would be on him. I had it on good authority our first baby would be a little girl who’d rule her daddy with an iron fist.

The first time I’d met Bastion’s sister, she’d inferred my presence would allow them to begin living. I’d asked her about it, but she’d merely told me she’d tell me when the time was right. This morning, she’d told me the new life I carried would be born in six and half months. She was adamant our little girl would rule the house and her father and bring joy to our family of wolves. I couldn’t wait to see. All I knew was I wanted a healthy baby. Bastion would be a great dad.

“Have you eaten?” he demanded as he stood and headed toward the door.

“Bastion, you’re naked,” I told him. He shrugged as he usually did. “Belinda’s in the front room.”

That made him pause and snag a pair of pants, pulling them on.

“What are you hungry for? I can cook anything you want. Name it. It’s yours.”

I smiled and lay back on the bed, spreading my thighs to give my mate a view of my pussy. His gaze immediately dropped to my folds. I slid a hand down, cupping my sex before rubbing a finger over my clit. “I want you, Bastion. Always you.”

The pants were gone again in an instant, and he dropped between my thighs, his shoulders spreading me wider.

“You have me, baby. I’m all yours.”

How could I not love this man? I was the luckiest woman in the world, and I knew it.

* * * *

Bastion

Six and half months later…

I held Rowan in my arms while her mother slept. Our daughter was the most beautiful little girl I’d ever seen. She had a cap of dark curls and her mother’s big eyes. Her grip on my finger showed strength, and why wouldn’t it? She had the blood of alphas in her veins.

“Someday, we’ll tell you all about the man you’re named after. Your Uncle Rowan was a good man. He loved your mother and looked after her the same way I’ll watch over you. Your mother and I will protect you always, little one. We’ll teach you everything you need to know. You’re going to rule one day. Don’t tell your mother, but my sister told me it was truth, and I’ve learned over the years your Aunt Belinda is never wrong.”

I’d finally shared Belinda’s theory on Rowan’s death with Raina, and my mate had surprised me with her calmness. I’d promised we’d keep digging into what had happened until we knew the truth. So far, nothing pointed to murder, despite my sister’s insistence.

“Don’t fill her head with stories, Bastion, or she’ll be as arrogant as you are.”

I glanced to the bed and found Raina’s gaze on me. The woman melted me. I peeked down at the bundle in my arms. Now, I had two of them. I was in deep trouble. I walked over to the bed and sat down, sliding Rowan into her mother’s arms before wrapping mine around them both.

“You say arrogant like it’s a bad thing.”

She snorted then dropped her gaze to our daughter.

“She’s so beautiful,” Raina whispered.

“She looks like her mother.”

She shook her head. “She looks like both of us, a perfect blending.”

I brushed a finger over Rowan’s cheek, and she turned toward my touch, little lips pursed.

“She’s hungry,” Raina said and slid her gown aside, baring one breast. Milk leaked from the tip, and I brushed it off with my finger, bringing it to my lips.

“Bastion,” Raina admonished. “That’s for the baby.”

“She has to learn to share,” I countered. “I read the books on parenting. It’s important to teach kids that, especially if they’re only children.”

Raina snorted again. “With the way we can’t keep our hands off of each other, she won’t be an only child for long.”

She was right. Even now, I counted the days until I could be inside her again. I watched, entranced as our daughter nursed. Afterward, Raina handed Rowan to me to burp then put her on the other breast to continue feeding her. We both watched Rowan. Her full cheeks and rosy mouth. The curl of her fingers around one of mine.

“She’s perfect,” I whispered as Rowan’s eyes drifted shut in sleep. When Raina didn’t immediately agree, I glanced up and found mother as sound asleep as daughter.

“Both of you,” I murmured, unlatching Rowan and tucking Raina’s gown back around her. I stood and carried Rowan back to her crib in the corner of our room.

My life was perfect. It had been from the day I’d glimpsed the photo of Raina carried to me by the elders of her pack, eager to merge us together. I’d known then she was mine. What I hadn’t known was just how thoroughly she’d make me hers. I was a lucky man.

The luckiest man in the world.

About the Author

Lacey is a hyper blonde, bouncing through life with her magical bracelets of positivity. A die-hard gamer (she refuses to call it an addiction), she resides in the Midwest, mom to three awesome children, one demanding dog, and two crazy cats. She has a passion for life and tends to leap long before she checks for safety exits. She writes possessive, alpha heroes who demand everything from the women they love. Believing sex is an integral part of a healthy romantic relationship, she doesn’t believe in closed doors, or even confining things to the indoors. Her stories reflect her strong family ties, friendships that showcase how some family consists of those we choose, and a goofy sense of humor that helps keep her laughing through all life’s ups and downs.

She loves to chat with anyone and often does to the annoyance of her children who are always in a hurry. If you want to talk books, television, movies, actors, World of Warcraft, prepping for the zombie apocalypse, or music (she loves music!), drop her a line at lcy_thrn1@yahoo.com.

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Also Available from Resplendence Publishing

Waking the Beast by Lacey Thorn
Awakening Pride Series, Book One

The legend of the Paka Watu…

Ever since she was a young girl, Abby Lane can’t resist the allure of a catshifter tribe forced to repress their beasts. On a trip to Africa, she discovers a coveted piece of information—the name the pride leader assumed when he left his home—and she traces his lineage to his descendent.

The sleeping lion…

Utah Pearce can’t keep his gaze off the woman who slips into the bar every night. Though not his usual type, she brings out the possessive instinct in him, making him battle with himself as he tries to stay away.

Mine…

Abby’s research never prepared her for the reality in front of her. The beast is waking, and Utah is changing in ways both exciting and terrifying. He is possessive and dominant, and when he finally claims her, neither of them will ever be the same.

His to Bear by Lacey Thorn
Awakening Pride: The Holloways, Book One

Jaeda is all alone, desperate to find safety, and there’s only one place she can go. She’ll have to run for the Holloway land and hope they’ll help her and not force her into a mating she doesn’t want. With hunters hot on her tail, she isn’t sure she’ll make it. Until something carries to her across the breeze, and she meets the bluest eyes she’s ever seen.

Holt never planned to stay with the Holloways. He was only there to offer temporary help. Then a dream ran to him and threw herself into his arms. Her fear was palpable, and when she begged him to protect her, he knew he wasn’t leaving.

He’d protect her, see to all her needs, and keep her right by his side. From the moment she sought his help, she became his to bear.

Swallowing His Pride by Serena Pettus
Southern Pride Series, Book One

Welcome to Pride, Texas, the home of cowboys, roughnecks, southern charm…and shifters. Lion shifters to be exact.

When a trip to Las Vegas has Dylan coming face to face with a woman who calls to every part of him—especially his inner lion—he's not sure what to do. Yearning to spend as much time with her as possible, Dylan courts her until one night of passion takes things further than even he was prepared to go. She's now his mate.

The impromptu vacation Samantha took with her best friend took a turn for the better when a hunky guy with a charming southern accent takes a liking to her. Unable to deny the intense chemistry between them, she tosses her inhibitions to the wind and indulges in a night of carnal bliss…only to wake up alone.

Hurt and confused, she heads home, only to discover that not everything that happens in Vegas stays there. Now he's back, and she must decide what to do once he confesses a secret that turns her reality on its head. But now there's a danger lurking in the shadows as well. A threat that is determined to keep humans out of the shifter society…by any means necessary.

Bump in the Night by Dakota Rebel

Ainsley Tennant has a secret. By day, she is the quintessential girl next door, a mild-mannered, small-town librarian with a 401k and no social life. But when the sun sets, she turns into a preternatural magnet. Every ghost, vampire and demon in a fifty-mile radius is drawn to her. Since she was a child, all she has ever wanted was to find someplace safe, far away from murder and mayhem so that these lost souls would no longer be drawn to her.

She believes she has finally found such a place in Logan, Ohio and has planted her roots firmly in the small, happy town. Still, not one to tempt fate, she does her best to be safely ensconced in her home before night fully takes hold of her peaceful village.

Unfortunately, her house may not be the safe haven she believed it. On Halloween, she finds herself walking the two blocks from work to her house well after midnight and realizes she is no longer alone on her journey. Turning to confront her pursuer, she comes face to face with one of the sexiest vampires she has ever encountered. Though her head tells her to run, her body begs to find out if anything good ever goes bump in the night.

Primal Hunger by Valerie Twombly
Guardians, Book Three

Cursed since the day of his creation, Seth has struggled with his identity. While his sanity balances on a razor’s edge, it is only a matter of time before he succumbs to the evil inside him. When realization strikes that the fiery Kaitlyn belongs to him, he must not only battle his past but fight his desire to claim her or chance killing them both.

Handed a dagger as a child, Kaitlyn O’Hara has slaughtered demons her entire life. It should come as no surprise that she is also destined to save a crazy vampire. When fate reveals her true identity, she must search her heart for the courage to move forward.

Katie holds the key to help save humanity. With Seth’s dark side edging closer, he prays he can keep it together long enough to protect her through the challenges she must face. However, he could prove to be her biggest threat.

He fights his desire to claim her. She battles to save him. Together they wage war to protect humanity. Who will survive?

Dragon’s Blood by Brynn Paulin
Cruentus Dragons Series, Book One

For centuries, there have been legends of Vampires—the fault of one careless dragon. But humans only know part of the story. Walking amongst us are Dragons—Shape-shifters who feed on blood.

Reluctant Dragon Elder Janos Aventech’s vacation in New York is about to come to an abrupt end. Riding on the subway, he stumbles across a Dragon mate—one of the few human women with whom his people can unite and be truly happy. And his people’s enemies are out to get her. As his attraction to this woman grows, he knows he must find her mate and see her safely into that man’s arms. It’s destined. But as every minute passes in her company, Janos begins to see he’ll never willingly let her go, mate or not.

If only she were his mate…

On the subway, Scarlett couldn’t stop staring at him—then he turned crazy. When he essentially kidnaps her off the train, she knows she should be irate and terrified. Instead, she finds her initial attraction growing. But what’s all this stuff he’s spouting about mates and enemies? She only wants to return to her life, not get caught in the middle of a war. But it’s too late for that. She’s destined for a Dragon’s bed, and in Janos’ arms, she can only hope it’s his.

ResplendencePublishing.com

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